Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Other → Great Pics

No, THIS is what you see when you look across the ocean

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
March 31, 2016
in Great Pics, Offbeat

You know those maps of the world with horizontal lines across the ocean, “this is what you see when you look across the ocean”? Well yeah, they’re no good. As cartographer Andy Woodruff indicates, they’re way, way off.

Credits: Andy Woodruff

When you look at the ocean, what are you seeing on the other side? It would be tempting to draw a straight line and say that’s what you see, but the answer isn’t as simple, for two reasons. First of all, coasts aren’t straight. The East Coast in North America isn’t a straight line from north to south. The coast line is crooked, and you’re dealing with a lot of angles. Woodruff explains:

“Taking “across the ocean” to mean directly across, perpendicular to the coast, then what’s across the ocean depends on where you’re standing! To get a rough idea of what direction the world’s coastlines face, I’m calculating the angle between every pair of adjacent coastal vertices in medium scale Natural Earth data, then placing a point in between them and measuring the view from there based on that angle.”

The second point is trickier to explain and understand, but it boils down to this: you’re drawing straight lines on a round object. The planet is more or less a sphere, and parallels stray away from the straight path. This means that places like Rhode Island and Spain are at the same latitude, although you wouldn’t expect it.

So, depending on where you are on the East Coast, you may be looking at Western Europe, but you’re just as likely looking at Africa or even South America. Moving up a bit to the north, if you’re in Newfoundland, Canada, you probably think you’re looking towards Iceland, but you’re actually looking at a very distant Australia. Europe generally “sees” North or South America depending on where you are, while from Australia you can look across the entire globe, depending on where you are.

You can read more about how these maps were made (very insightful read), but there are two main takeaways here: firstly, whenever you’re looking across the ocean, you’re probably not looking where you think you are. Secondly, our planet is as complicated as it is beautiful – not everything is as simple as drawing a straight line.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Unmanned robots embark on epic voyage across the Pacific Ocean
  2. New model predicts how plastic travels across ocean garbage patches
  3. This is how land birds can fly across the open ocean
  4. Family of termites has been traveling across the ocean for millions of years
  5. Noise pollution from deep-sea mining could radiate across the ocean

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW